Read this text about multitasking and choose the best option (A, B or C) to complete each

sentence.

ON THE MIND: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT MULTITASKING

This column, On the Mind, is a series about the latest in cognitive science and neuroscience
research that applies to our everyday lives. This biweekly series is for those interested in cutting-
edge findings about the practical side of habits, memories and multitasking. What are the recent
studies, and what is the context? See what science says and how you can apply it to your life.

With our personal, professional and social lives inundated with texts, emails and social media, we’re
no strangers to multitasking, which can be defined as a person’s ability to do more than one thing at
the same time. It seems inevitable in our continuous struggle for work-life balance. But at some
point, it gets annoying when a friend gets frustrated for not receiving a response to a text or a client
calls you after not receiving a reply to an email sent 20 minutes ago.
Studies say
Scientists focused on multitasking research in the past decade in particular, questioning how the
Internet has reshaped our thoughts and behaviors. This trend toward rapid attention shifting and
increased multitasking is often linked with distractibility and poor self-control, researchers from
France and the United Kingdom said last October. Although some of this concern may be
exaggerated and not supported by evidence, they say, other studies point to a definite change in our
brain related to multitasking. Beyond what can benefit our to-do lists, researchers are also using
multitasking research in medicine. How our brains handle tasks can potentially tell us how to
understand and treat serious diseases. In fact, several medical studies from the past few months
have investigated multitasking related to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke
patients, especially active duty military members.
Key Takeaways
Let’s face it: Multitasking is here to stay in today’s connected world. As we learn more about what it
does to our brains, however, we can understand how it rules our thoughts and actions.
1. Multitasking is hard.
Certain parts of the brain process tasks, and if we’re doing too much at once, that can divide our
attention. Of course, different tasks are more complex than others, so we can sometimes effectively
pull off simple tasks at the same time. At the same time, several New York researchers reported that
task-irrelevant sounds can distract us and affect our performance. Additionally, as we age, our brains
are less flexible with multitasking, even during walking. Have you ever watched your elderly parents
stop on the sidewalk to answer a text? I’ve always wondered why, and now it makes sense.
2. Our genes affect our multitasking abilities.
It’s not fair, but not all of us are created equally as multitaskers. In the past few years, researchers
have discovered a group of extraordinary multitaskers they call “supertaskers” who can more
successfully handle two attentiondemanding tasks at once. Brain scans show that their brains use
two parts of the brain more efficiently to keep track of what they’re doing.
3. Multitasking with social media can limit us.
Extensive media multitasking for teens and young adults, such as reading emails on their laptops,
looking at texts on their phones and watching Netflix on their TVs at the same time, could be
detrimental for attention, language and social skills that are still developing. In fact, it may be linked
to lower test scores in both math and English, poorer working memory and more impulsive
behaviour. If there’s one ray of hopeful light, it’s this: Action videogames don’t seem to fall into this
category. In fact, focus on a particular game may increase attentional control.
4. Cognitive training may help.
If our modern world makes multitasking inevitable and necessary, why don’t we find a way to adapt?
Brain training could change our brain activity and prevent cognitive decline in areas related to
memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the brain training market is a rapidly-
growing multibillion dollar industry being promoted by app and videogame companies. Studies are
still investigating whether the apps really provide longterm benefits.
In summary, even though we know a great deal from brain scans, scientists still aren’t exactly sure
how multitasking works in the brain all the time. In fact, it seems to vary by the type of task and who
is doing it. Future studies will likely focus on the different parts of the brain that process tasks, and
how to provoke more activity in those areas through app training, brain stimulation or old-fashioned
single-task focusing.
0. This text is part of a series aimed at …
A. a certain age group.
B. the general reader.
C. the specialist.

1. Multitasking studies …
A. are, at least, a century old.
B. have found definite proof that using the Internet causes poor self-control.
C. suggest multitaskers are altering their brains.

2. According to section 1 (Multitasking is hard), …

A. environmental distractions can affect our capability to multitask.
B. multitasking is easier as you get old, as you have had more practice.
C. task difficulty does not affect our capability to multitask.

3. According to section 2 (Our genes affect our multitasking abilities), …

A. some people are born with better multitasking skills than others.
B. we are all equally good at multitasking at birth.
C. we can train to use two parts of the brain when multitasking.

4. According to section 3 (Multitasking with media can limit us), dealing with different media at the
same time …
A. can be beneficial for elderly people.
B. can have an effect on developing skills.
C. is encouraged at schools.

5. The author also claims that action videogames …

A. are similar in their effects to extensive media multitasking.
B. have a negative effect on school marks.
C. may improve focus.

6. According to section 4 (Cognitive training may help), …

A. brain training companies will continue expanding in the next few years.
B. using brain training apps when young will definitely prevent age-related problems.
C. human multitasking is not needed in a computer world.

7. In summary, old-fashioned single-task focusing…

A. ought to be the object of upcoming research
B. will certainly be the object of upcoming research
C. will probably be the object of upcoming research

8. After reading this article…

A. we are now able to explain in great details the functioning of multitasking.
B. we know that different apps will replace the work of scientists.
C. we know that more research is needed to fully understand the mechanism involved in
multitasking.
Key:

ON THE MIND

0B 1C 2A 3A 4B 5C 6A 7C 8C